The history of Orissa dates back to 2500 years. The original inhabitants of Orissa were the native tribes namely Gonds and Buiyas, who settled in the forests. They had uninterrupted reign for some centuries, that was till the Dravidian race came and eventually established their dominance in this region. In the ancient ages, Orissa was known as Kalinga. It was also recognized by names like Odra and Utkal.

The recorded history of Orissa can be traced to the Vedic chronicles. It was an independent state outside the purview of Brahmannical influences. Many mighty Kings were wary of attacking Kalinga, which was a major maritime trading state of those times. Even Chandragupta Maurya, who defeated the mighty Nanda to establish Maurya empire, didn't attempt to include Kalinga within his territory. His grandson and the son of Bindusara, Asoka, took possession of Kalinga, after a fierce battle. The Kalinga war proved to be a major spiritual turnaround for the emperor Ashoka in the third century BC, who was so moved by his own perpetrated carnage that he renounced his imperialistic ambitions and embraced Buddhism.

In the second century AD, Kalinga was ruled by a strong ruler called Kharavela. He built the magnificent monastic caves at Khandagiri and Udaygiri. He was followed by the Gupta Empire during the 4th century AD. In 795 AD, the king Yayati combined Kalinga, Utkala and Kosala into a single empire. Then, there was the rule of Bhaumakara dynasty and Soma dynasty. Their successive regimes lasted till the late 10th century AD. The Ganga dynasty ruled Orissa during the 11th and 12th century AD. Post 13th century witnessed the rule of Muslim Sultanate in Orissa, which lasted till 1568. Later on, the history of Orissa witnessed the rule of the mighty Mughals. It ended with the death of Aurangzeb who was the last Mughal emperor of any consequence.

Following the Moghul era, the state was governed by the Nawab of Bengal. He eventually surrendered the state of Orissa to the Marathas. In 1803, the British took possession of Orissa after the Second Anglo-Maratha War. In 1823, the state of Orissa was divided into three districts such as Balasore, Puri and Cuttack, as well as several native tributary states. The administration of Orissa was a part of the Bengal Presidency. After the famine and floods in 1866, many irrigation projects were undertaken in large scale in Orissa, during the second half of the 19th century. The coastal section of Bengal was merged into the states of Orissa and Bihar in 1912. In 1936, Orissa and Bihar were separated as two different states.

Many freedom fighters from Orissa actively took part in the freedom struggle of India. Although the state was formed on 1st April, 1936, it was announced as the separate state of Indian Union after the independence of India, in 1949. Modern Orissa, along with its huge potential of economic resources, which are in the form of extensive forests, fertile lands and minerals, is showing great development.

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